Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Texas Plan for Unity Supported by Former Secretary of State James Baker Supports Publicly

Texas' All-Are-Welcome Approach to Same-Gender Blessings

This entry was posted on July 7, 2012, in General Convention Daily News: Center Aisle

By Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III

The bishop of Texas, the Rt. Rev. Andrew C. Doyle, has embarked on what I believe is a promising approach to a serious problem causing great consternation inside the Episcopal Church. Specifically, Bishop Doyle hopes to deal with the question of blessing same-gender relationships in a way that will eliminate or diminish the schism within our Church over the issue. This divide has threatened not only our religious harmony, but our church membership and its financial well-being. And if nothing is done, we can expect the split to grow wider after General Convention.

Through Bishop's Doyle's leadership, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas will allow clergy in conversation with their parish to make their own decision about whether or not they want to bless same-gender relationships. (Same-gender marriage is prohibited by law in Texas.) A congregation could either vote to support the blessing of same-gender covenants or vote to prohibit them. Or, it could do nothing at all. Either way, the oversight of each parish by the bishop of Texas would be consistent with the vote in that parish. Liberal parishes could vote to bless same-gender relationships under procedures authorized by the bishop of Texas. Traditional parishes could amend their governing documents to provide that they would never permit such blessings and would be supported in such a decision by the bishop of Texas.

Bishop Doyle asked that I support his approach and I have done so wholeheartedly. I have watched as our Church has been torn apart by this issue and now faces the prospect of continuing disunity because of it. Bishop Doyle intends to establish an all-are-welcome approach that will allow parishes within the Diocese of Texas to make their own decision on this issue. This approach comports with a longstanding tradition inside our Church for some decisions to be made at the local level while others are at the level of General Convention.

Hardliners on both sides of the issue may find fault with this proposal. But to me, it seems the best way to establish a win-win situation in which there is not one set of winners and one set of losers. If our Church continues to remain split between two sides that take an either/or approach to this issue, we all will be the losers as our membership continues to splinter and lawsuits over church property continue to mount. Bishop Doyle's approach is an opportunity to take a middle way in a manner which respects and brings all voices to the table. If we cannot do that on this critical issue, we risk further division on other matters.

Hopefully, Bishop Doyle's proposal for the Diocese of Texas will work as intended, and will become a model for dioceses in other states where congregations are grappling with this issue. His approach is based on mutual respect and understanding, and it allows our Church to remain united during this trying time. I encourage members of our Church to read Bishop Doyle's Unity in Mission statement, which more fully explains the approach the Diocese of Texas will follow. It can be viewed at epicenter.org/unity.

We are told in Ephesians 4:5 that we are united by "one Lord, one faith and one baptism." If we adopt the thoughtful approach that Bishop Doyle has proposed, we can remain united, allowing us to dedicate ourselves fully to our mission of advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." John Wesley

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." G. K. Chesterton

"One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans." C. S. Lewis

"When we say, 'I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,' we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the church seldom asks us for forgiveness." Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

"Christians are hard to tolerate; I don't know how Jesus does it." Bono

"It's too easy to get caught in our little church subcultures, and the result is that the only younger people we might know are Christians who are already inside the church." Dan Kimball

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Blog Autobiography

You, the people of this diocese, have witnessed my journey and helped to prepare me for the ministry I hold as bishop. As the son of an Episcopal priest, I grew up in churches around Houston. I have lived and worked for the Church in Austin, Temple, Houston and College Station. At CampAllen some of you were my counselors; some of you were my campers - including several who are now priests. It was here, among you, that I first heard a call to ministry. I pursued a degree in fine arts, then - with the support of St. Paul's, Freeport and All Saints, Austin - I attended Virginia Theological Seminary and graduated in 1995. I was ordained at ChristChurch, Temple. JoAnne and I met at CampAllen and were married in 1990. Our two beautiful girls, Caisa and Zoë, are the delight of our lives. As a family we enjoy the outdoors and fishing. I have served the Diocese of Texas for more than twenty years as a youth minister, camp counselor, priest, consultant, workshop leader and Canon to the Ordinary. I am grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to expand that work, and to work energetically and faithfully for our future.?xml:namespace>